


You Saved Me

by LuckyDucky20



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Canon, Ben is totally in love with Rey, Canon Universe, Come Swallowing, Cunnilingus, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fingerfucking, First Time Blow Jobs, Fluff, Loss of Virginity, Oral Sex, Pining, Redeemed Ben Solo, Rey thinks Ben is a good friend, Sex, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Trailer, Until Rey can admit her true feelings, Vaginal Fingering, Virgin Ben Solo, Virgin Rey (Star Wars), Well at least switched sides Ben Solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2020-11-27 19:37:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20953811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyDucky20/pseuds/LuckyDucky20
Summary: The Resistance gets caught in the middle of a battle between a small group of the First Order and a native army on a distant planet. Kylo saves Rey, once again, and Rey returns the favor. He makes the decision to leave with the Resistance to keep them both safe. Now with her daily, his feelings for Rey are stronger than ever, but he is certain that she doesn't feel the same. How does he show her his love while not scaring her away... or earning a slap across the face?OR I suck at these so the gist is...Ben is desperately in love with Rey. Rey likes Ben just fine as a friend but isn't in love with him. How do they navigate this situation? Especially with a meddling Poe and Rose!





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I hate summaries. So read if you like! This will be at MOST 3 chapters. I got this idea ALL THE WAY back in April after the teaser trailer and have JUST NOW decided to write it so it will leave me alone! :-) I really like the idea of Kylo/Ben having stronger feelings for Rey than she has for him. I wanted to make him a thirty-year-old lovesick puppy and her be like "we are just friends, leave me alone!" But it's really because she is uncomfortable with the feelings that he is bringing out in her. At twenty, she's never felt this way - never experienced lust - towards another person. 
> 
> The title to my first Reylo (canon-compliant) story was You Ruined Me, so I made this You Saved Me because I suck at titles MORE than summaries. And they do, in fact, save each other at the beginning of this story. Un-beta'd because I don't have one of those.

Finn never thought he'd be here again. _Here_ being fighting alongside ex-fellow Stormtroopers and the First Order. They didn't mean to be allies, but as the Resistance - well, just Finn, Poe, Rey, Rose, and Snap with their new friend Jannah - were passing through, there was a full on battle raging between whoever these soldiers in the weird hats were and a small band of the First Order led by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren. Before they knew it, the massive "weird hat" army turned on them as well.

The Resistance was in this strange land because there was a specific artifact that Rey had insisted that they needed. Or, at least, they needed to get it before the First Order did. This artifact is what, Finn assumed, brought the small band of Frist Order troops here as well. Unfortunately for both groups, the item wasn't there. It had apparently been moved decades ago by none other than Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi. Finn usually had much respect for the old legend, but at the moment he was cursing the long deceased man for sending them on a wild porg chase - even after death!

"Where's Chewie with that ship?!" Poe hollered over the noise of blaster fire and exploding wood and rock.

"I've commed him! He'll be here," Rey yelled back, a bit of bite in her tone.

Poe and Rose took out some more adversaries, and then Poe instructed everyone to start running for cover to wait for Chewie. They began sprinting through the madness, firing shots and Rey using her lightsaber however needed - more blocking shots than stabbing people.

"Snap! Run faster!" Poe took his increasingly bad mood out on his friend.

"I'm not used to running!" Snap defended himself, sounding thoroughly out of breath. "This is why I'm a pilot!"

The group took a pause for Snap to catch his breath. Rose wouldn't admit it, but she was happy for the rest as well. Though she was in good shape, her legs were much shorter than everyone else's - it was hard to keep up!

"Chewie should be headed for that clearing," Rey informed everyone, pointing ahead and to the right. "I'll provide a bit more cover so you can all get there as quickly as possible."

"I'll help," Jannah volunteered. Rey gave her an appreciative nod.

Finn didn't want to be shown up by his female friends, even though he'd freely admit that they both had more skill in their little fingers than he had in his whole body. So he volunteered as well. "I'll stay back, too."

"No!" Rose exclaimed. "You're staying with me."

"Babe, I'll provide you cover. Rey protects Poe's back, Jannah has Snap, and I've got you," he told her with a wink.

"I think I could actually cover both of you myself," Jannah told them kindly but also rightfully bragging about her abilities.

"Then it's settled. You'll cover Finn and Rose while I cover Poe and Snap," Rey concluded with a stern look at Finn, not leaving room for argument.

"Great. Good. It's settled. Now let's go," Poe said impatiently and headed off toward the clearing before anyone could decide to lag behind.

Rey and Jannah used their skills to the best of their ability, successfully keeping their friends safe. It didn't take long for Rey to spot the glowing red lightsaber of her complicated enemy from across the battlefield. She watched as he charged forward, flanked by Stormtroopers, slashing through his enemies and slamming others into the ground.

"Come on, Rey. We better head for the ship before we get too involved here," Jannah said, already backing away from the fight.

"Go. I'll cover you and be right behind," Rey told her new friend. Jannah nodded and ran off.

Rey backed away, blocking with her saber and shooting with her blaster. She did her best to scan the area to keep herself and Jannah safe - of course, Jannah was halfway to the Millennium Falcon by now - but she locked eyes with _him_, thoroughly distracting her. They had been forced closer together, the native army channeling Rey left and Kylo right. He was so close now that only a few steps from each of them and they would be able to touch._ Not_ that she wanted to touch him or anything. Her skin was just feeling prickly.

The look in Kylo's eyes when he first saw her was of surprise, and then they hardened. His expression wasn't hate or anger per se, but he no longer had that hungry, pleading look. Either way, he seemed interested in her presence, like he had been waiting to see her again.

"Watch out!" he suddenly yelled at her and closed the distance between them.

Rey hadn't been paying attention, lost in a pair of pretty eyes again. She didn't notice the man coming up behind her with his weapon. She wasn't ready for the blow, and she knew that it would hurt. She closed her eyes, turned her head, and braced for the impact.

It didn't feel like she thought it would. Instead, it just felt like she was knocked to the ground. Then she heard the familiar sound of Kylo's weapon. The man fell, dead, onto the ground next to her. Rey looked up at Kylo, shocked that he had just saved her. Again. He extended his hand to her to help her up. She just stared at it for a second and then accepted his help.

"I- uh- thanks," she mumbled.

Kylo just offered her a nod before turning away to continue the battle.

Rey hesitated. She felt the need to return the favor, to help him now. However, she really needed to get to her ship, seeing as her friends were waiting for her to leave this horrible planet! Yes. Her_ friends_ needed her. Kylo could handle himself perfectly well. He did _not_ need her. Besides, she was still disappointed in him for the path he chose, specifically choosing the First Order over her... _and_ his wonderful mother!

She turned away to go after her friends, quickly dodging around bodies. On her way, Rey noticed less First Order troops and more of the native army. She glanced back and noticed that Kylo was quickly becoming outnumbered. She made it a few more feet, her friends waving her on franticly, before she stopped. Her conscience got the better of her. Rey knew that although he was strong with the force, he wouldn't be able to fight his way single-handedly out of this mess. No matter what he had done, she couldn't lose him now. She wouldn't be able to save anyone else from the First Order. Just him. She owed him one, or two, anyway.

Rey grunted in frustration and turned to run back to Kylo. She managed to catch the looks of disbelief from Poe and Finn before she began her fight back through the oncoming attackers.

"Hello again," she said, appearing at his side and slicing her lightsaber through some poor soul's chest.

"What are you doing?!" Kylo sounded angry, or maybe it was just the effort he was putting into the fight.

"You need to come with me now," Rey told him, leaving no room for argument.

"No," he said with a grunt as he body-slammed a man to the ground and sliced trough his neck.

"Ben..." she said exasperated. "All of your troops are being massacred. Please let me help you. Come with me now, and you will live to see another day."

"If I come with you, your _friends_ will kill me. How does that save my life?!" Kylo took the moment of peace to look her in the eye.

"They won't. I won't let them," Rey promised.

He looked around, and it pained him to admit that she was right. "Alright," he conceded. "Lead the way."

Rey gave him a bright smile, grabbed his hand, and dragged him towards the Falcon. She couldn't help but to chuckle to herself upon seeing the pure look of bewilderment on her friends' faces. Finn was already shaking his head no. Rose's mouth was wide open. Poe was glaring. Snap and Jannah were most likely helping Chewie get ready for a quick exit, so she luckily didn't have to deal with them. Yet.

A loud explosion knocked Kylo back, causing him to lose his grip on Rey's hand. There was ringing in his ears as he got back to his feet as quickly as possible, and he searched through the smoke for Rey. He spotted her lying still on the ground. As he got closer, it was obvious that she was unconscious. He checked her quickly for wounds, only finding a gash on her head - the blow that knocked her out - and gathered her into his arms. Kylo resumed his path to the Falcon, willing his legs to move faster. Gone was the fear of what Rey's friends were going to do to him. He had a new purpose now. Get her to safety as quickly as possible.

Kylo couldn't believe that she had come back for_ him_. That she would even want to save him. He really _should_ have known, though. She had always been a compassionate soul. It was one of things that had made him fall in love with her. And he _was_, completely head over heels, one hundred percent, in love with her. There was no denying it. Not now. It was silly to think that he ever tried. He was consumed with getting her to that ship and assessing her injuries further. He just hoped her idiot friends would let him.

As he marched up the ramp, Finn made to stand in front of him, while Poe came up behind his friend to have his back. "We can take her from here," the ex-Stormtrooper told Kylo.

Kylo, of course, just scoffed and pushed past them.

"Did you not hear him?" Poe spoke up. "You are not welcome here. We are not afraid of you. Get off of this ship _now_."

Kylo gently laid Rey on the couch, and turned on them, fierceness flashing in his eyes. "First of all, this is _my_ ship as it had belonged to _my_ father-"

"Who you murdered!" Finn snarled.

"I don't have time for this," he growled. "_She_ doesn't have time for this!" With the authority inherited from his father, his booming voice called up to the cockpit, "Chewie! Get us out of here!"

For his part, Chewie didn't hesitate and did as his wayward nephew commanded. However, they were definitely going to have a chat - maybe more than that - once they landed. For now though, Chewie closed the ramp, prepared for take off, and was off the ground and into the sky in no time. Once far enough into the atmosphere, they went into hyperspace.

Kylo sat down and rested Rey's head in his lap. He tried to use the force to further see what was wrong with her. If it had been anyone else, the force wouldn't have worked that way. But this was Rey, and they had a bond. He was relieved to find that there was no serious harm inflicted upon her mind. This relief was evident in his expression, relaxing the small group that had gathered around him.

"She's just truly knocked out from the debris that hit her head. The worst of it is this gash. Is there any bacta onboard?" he questioned Poe directly.

"No, but there is plenty back at..." Poe trailed off, not wanting to disclose their location.

"Like it or not, you all _are_ stuck with me. Rey saved my life. _She_ obviously thought I was worth saving. I'm _going_ to take care of her," he told them sternly but without any of his previous annoyance and anger. "If you would be kind enough to comm my mother so it's not a complete shock when I show up, that would be greatly appreciated. Leia does_ not_ like surprises."

* * *

It had only been about a standard week or two, and everyone was acclimating pretty well to having the fallen son of their General around. That's not to say that _anybody_ trusted him as far as they could throw him - it was doubtful that anyone could even pick that large man up - but he had given up the alias of Kylo Ren and retaken the name Ben Solo.

He still wore black, however, and that didn't really seem like it was going to change. Someone even asked him once why he insisted on wearing black all the time. He told them that it hid the blood of his enemies well. He was left alone regarding his fashion choices after that!

Surprisingly, Poe seemed to enjoy having Ben around immensely. Sure most of that joy was due to the fact that Poe was his senior officer, but it made it easy for everyone else to accept Ben since Poe did.

_Not_ surprising anyone was the tension surrounding Rey and Ben. It wasn't the tension that would have been previously suspected, a violent tension, but something different. For two smooth force users, they were very awkward around each other. The only time that awkwardness went away was when they were sparring with their sabers or meditating.

It was blatantly obvious to everyone that he was in love with the girl. Well, it was obvious to everyone _except_ Rey. She just took it all in stride as part of their friendship. For her part, Rey wasn't _exactly_ in love with Ben. She _liked_ him fine. She definitely found him extremely attractive, but that was lust and not love. She _cared_ for him. She liked being near him, but she would turn skittish when it did seem like he wanted more out of their relationship. She would make excuses and run away.

One such time occurred as they were practicing hand-to-hand combat. She had swept his leg, taking him down, but he had grabbed her ankle to pull her down as well. He quickly rolled to pin her underneath him. They both knew there was no way she could move this lug of a man without playing dirty. She wasn't willing to do that since it would actually hurt him.

"You give in?" Ben asked with a smirk.

Rey took her time and made a show of thinking about it, admittedly enjoying the weight of his body on hers - it was a new sensation. His hair fell a bit to tickle her face, and she giggled and squirmed underneath him.

"Get a room!" they heard what was distinctly Poe's voice yelling at them.

The shock that flashed in her eyes caused Ben to immediately release her and clamor to his feet. He offered Rey a hand to help her up, which she took without hesitation.

"Well, ok," he said, brushing the dirt off of his knees.

"Yeah, um, I gotta-" she began.

"Yeah. Me too," he said to stop any awkwardness. He had gotten too close for her comfort again, and he kind of hated himself for it.

She nodded and started to walk off.

"Rey?" Her name from his lips stopped her. "Thanks. For not leaving me. That day." Ben felt the need to soothe her nervousness.

"Well, I kind of owed you. You've saved me a couple times already," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but you had to go against your friends."

"You went against your Master..." she reminded him.

"Yeah, but it's easy to go against someone you hate than those you love. So, again, thanks."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. I think they like having you here more than they'd ever admit." She gave him a warm smile.

"Yeah?" he didn't sound like he believed her so she nodded. "Well, I need to get back to letting Dameron boss me around," he sighed. "I'm sure I'll be answering to BB-8 as well soon enough..." he smirked.

* * *

Ben was tinkering with the landing pads on the Falcon when his superior appeared. He sighed loudly, wondering what Poe was going to have him do next. It did seem that most of the things he was charged with had to do with his height, and Poe's lack of it. He didn't stop his tinkering, however, and just patiently waited for Poe to speak. What he said, though, caught him completely off guard.

"When are you going to tell Rey that you're in love with her?" Poe questioned him.

Ben paused his movements and turned only his head to look at Poe. "What?" he asked as if he hadn't heard Poe correctly, though the coloring of the tips of his ears proved otherwise.

"You heard me," Poe called him out on the fact. "It is painful to watch you two dance around each other every single damn day. Just kiss her or something!"

"I don't see how that's any of your business..." Ben started on the defensive. Then he thought better of it and indulged the conversation. "Why would you encourage me to pursue her? She's your friend, and you hate me."

"Well, if my suspicions are incorrect and you kiss her, she might give you a good slap across the face, which would be very entertaining," Poe confessed. "However, I do not think I'm wrong. I think she likes you too. And, yes, she's my friend. She deserves happiness. Even if it's with you."

Ben stared at Poe for a few seconds and then shook his head. "You're messing with me. You want me to get slapped."

Poe snorted out a laugh. "I _would_ like to see Rey slap you. Hard, too. But I'm not messing with you. You should at least invite her to your room. Maybe after dinner. If she says yes, then you know she likes you as more than a friend." Poe gave him a wink.

"But there's nothing to do in my room. Why would I invite her to go there?" Ben asked, genuinely confused.

"Seriously," Poe stared at Ben like he was an idiot. He then cocked his head and studied Ben curiously. "Have you ever done anything with a girl? You're a virgin, aren't you?"

Ben felt his whole body turn red from embarrassment. "Again, I don't see how my past... _sex_ life-"

"Or lack thereof..." Poe muttered.

"-is any of your business," Ben continued, ignoring Poe's interjection. "You're saying that you think I should invite Rey to my room for sex?! Are you _crazy_?! Or stupid. Probably both!"

Poe shrugged. "It's a sure way to see if she likes you as more than a friend."

"Considering _you_ seem to have no significant other, I don't think I'll take your advice," Ben told him curtly.

"Hey, the tension between you two is stifling!_ We_," Poe gestured around him indicating the other Resistance members milling around, "don't have the force like you and Rey, but we can _feel_ it! It would be great if you two could just fuck each other and have it done with so that _we_ can all breathe easier..."

"You-" Ben began but it turned out that he really didn't know what to say. "I don't _like_ you," he settled on, gathering his things. "I would appreciate it if you would stay out of my private affairs." With that, he turned and stalked off. Ben had worked too hard to repress the darkness inside him. It would be a shame if he lost control now just to maim Rey's friend, and his mother's favorite flyboy!

* * *

"So..." Rose tried to fill the silence.

Rey looked up from the Jedi text she was currently trying to decipher and fixed Rose with an expectant stare.

"You and Ben... are _just_ friends? Or you want to be_ more_ than that?"

"We're just friends, Rose. We don't see each other like that," Rey replied.

"Do you have eyes? He definitely sees you like that! I'm just wondering about you," Rose told her.

"He does not! He's told me that I'm basically a scavenger rat and come from nothing. He does _not_ like me... _romantically,_ if that's what you're implying," Rey corrected her.

"I politely disagree," Rose argued to her friend. "Besides, I asked about how _you_ felt. Do you like him as more than a friend?"

Rey gave up on trying to read and shut her book, putting it in her lap. She looked at Rose but was thinking. She hadn't really thought about it before! Well, that was a lie, she had. She remembered how badly she wanted to kiss him, or for him to kiss her, when they were in the turbolift -_ that_ seemed like years ago. Things just turned out differently than she had expected, so she had pushed those feelings away, banishing them into nonexistence.

"I don't know," she answered simply. "I think I'm just happy to have his friendship, to finally have him on our side. I don't want to risk anything with _feelings_. He's already experienced so much change. I'm one of the few people he trusts. I don't want to break that trust by trying to push something that isn't there."

"But, it's already there! It is _so_ there!" Rose argued. "He stopped being the Supreme Leader of the _entire_ galaxy to be here with you. How can you not see that he is completely in love with you?!"

"Well, I'm not in love with him. Sure I find him attractive, and I would let him kiss me if he wanted to... but love and lust are not the same thing. If there's anything between us, then, it's just attraction. Not love."

"Ok, then. Go work that lust out! There are worse ways to lose your virginity than to broody tree of a man. Just don't tell Finn I said any of this!" Rey gaped at Rose. "What?" the shorter woman asked innocently with a shrug.

"I- I will not- _do_ not- Being a virgin is fine with me!" Rey said petulantly, face turning bright pink.

Rose held her hands up. "Ok, ok! Just trying to give you some helpful advice..."

"Well, it's not! It's meddling, and we don't see each other that way!" Rey opened her book to resume reading.

"Fine. Maybe you can at least get him to help you with that damn book. Ask him to come to your room and finally figure that stuff out!" Rose tapped the book with her foot, and Rey swatted her away.

"Maybe," she replied, but was truly considering seeking his assistance. Ben - well, Kylo - _had_ offered to be her teacher at one time, so he probably wouldn't mind helping her out.

"We've all got free time after dinner," Rose pointed out. "I'm sure he'd more than happy to read boring books with you then. You two will at least have plenty of energy to delve into the topic at hand."

"I guess," Rey conceded. "It wouldn't hurt to _ask_ him. I just want to respect his feelings on all this Jedi stuff. He doesn't exactly enjoy it! I also want to be clear that I have no interest in learning anything about the dark side."

"He seems to respect you. Besides, you're the only true friend he has, so I'm sure he'll do anything you ask!" Rose gave Rey a smile. It was an odd, knowing smile, but Rey wasn't sure Rose's meaning behind it. She definitely had no intention in asking either!

* * *

Ben always sat with Rey during mealtimes. If necessary, he would rearrange his whole schedule to do so. That was one good thing about having Poe as his babysitter, he was nice enough to allow Ben to be with Rey as much as possible. However, in the event that he couldn't change his schedule to meet hers, he found that she would change hers to match his. So it was no surprise to him when he showed up late for dinner that she was waiting patiently for him.

"Sorry I'm late," he muttered. "One of the U-wings doused me in oil and gunk. I _had_ to wash up before dinner."

"It's fine," she reassured him, noticing his damp hair. The sight of it did something to her stomach, as if there was something fluttering in there.

"Have you eaten yet?" he asked softly. "I hope you didn't wait for me."

"Of course I waited for you," Rey told him. "I don't want you to eat alone."

Neither of them wanted the other to be lonely ever again, almost to a point that it annoyed everyone else at how clingy they could get towards each other. Especially when Rey insisted in including him in _everything_! Finn took particular offense to this. Sometimes he wanted some one-on-one time with his friend.

"Well, I didn't want you to go hungry," he countered as they headed over to choose their food from the various offerings available to them. He knew her past and was going to make damn sure she'd never feel the stab of hunger again.

Rey snorted a laugh. "Thirty minutes longer isn't going to make me 'go hungry!' Besides, I can just steal some of yours if I want," she said with a wink as she knocked her hip against his.

"You can have anything of mine that is sweet because I don't like it anyway, but I'd love to see you try to steal any of my meat!" he grinned at her.

"Yeah, Rey. Keep your hands off of Benny's meat!" Poe teased as he joined them in searching for the perfect selection of food. The innuendo was not missed. Ben and Rey both rolled their eyes at Poe's immaturity.

"You're the oldest one of my friends, yet you act like the youngest!" Rey told Poe, elbowing him jokingly in his side.

"Ow! You've got a sharp elbow!" he complained. "But you set yourself up for that! Couldn't help it," he shrugged. Poe decided to grab a piece of fruit and leave the - what _he_ considered - lovebirds alone.

After finally coming to an agreement between themselves, Ben and Rey took a seat across from each other at a small empty table. They often not only ate together but would share their meals with each other, swapping items that the other preferred with something else. This time, however, Ben noticed that she was eyeing his plate greedily while also seeming reluctant to give up anything specific on hers.

He slid his plate to the middle of the table and suggested, "Why don't we just share all of it tonight?"

Rey smirked, pushing her plate forward to rest next to his. "What if I eat it all before you can have any?"

"Not possible. I think you underestimate how speedy I can eat," he gave her a wink.

"Very well, then. Just don't be offended when I start with _your_ dessert first!" She quickly sunk her fork into his chocolatey goodness of a concoction and promptly shoved it in her mouth.

"I don't mind," he told her. "As you know I'm not a fan of sweet things." He wanted to add '_besides you_' but thought that would be too forward.

After Rey swallowed down her dessert, she watched as Ben's expression became one of amusement. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he just shook his head and leaned forward to wipe the corner of her mouth with his thumb. "Messy eater, scavenger," he commented.

She blushed lightly and looked back down at the plates of food, deciding what to start on next. She took a bit of meat, but decided to ask Ben what she needed before stuffing her mouth again. "If you're not busy, do you think you would have some time to come to my room tonight? I confess that I need your help."

Rey didn't notice since she was looking down to cut her meat when she asked, but Ben's gaze on her sharpened at her request. "Your room?" he repeated as if to be sure.

"Unless you'd rather I come to your room?" she replied, looking back up to meet his gaze. The way he was looking at her... well, she had never seen him look like that. The fluttering in her stomach returned with a vengeance.

"No. No, I- it will be good to be in your room," he managed to reply. Ben was now kicking himself for not asking Poe more questions about _what_ to do, how to go about things once they were in a bedroom together.

She smiled at him and resumed eating her meal. Rey was nervous to have him come have a look at the Jedi texts. This was mainly due to her not knowing how he'd react to the subject matter, or _if_ he'd even help. Was it too soon since he had turned ever so slightly from the dark side to ask him to teach her more about the light? Rey wasn't sure, but she was willing to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to post sooner but had my wisdom teeth out. I then tried to write... It was hilariously awful! I mean, this IS pure ridiculousness. So... enjoy!
> 
> To anyone reading the slightly more serious You Ruined Me, I will update this week. I am giving myself a hard deadline of Friday. *Fingers crossed!*

Ben stood at Rey's door. Just staring at it. Should he being doing this? He definitely should _not_ be doing this. But he _wanted_ to be doing this, even though he wasn't completely sure what_ this_ entailed. Rey was the only person in existence that made him feel this way. He wanted to transition their relationship into a romantic one, but he hadn't exactly brought this subject up. Ever. Well, besides that one time he asked her to rule the galaxy with him and told her that she was everything to him. Except he didn't say those exact words, which resulted in a less than desirable outcome. He needed to do better this time, and he had no idea of how to do that!

Should he have spoken to his mother? Absolutely not! His mind kept going back to Poe. Maybe he should turn around and quickly go have a chat with him...but it was too late. He had been standing there for too long. It would be weird to show up any later than he already was. Before he could have another thought, the door opened, and there stood Rey.

"So... were you ever going to knock? Or were you going to just stand out here all night?" she teasingly asked him and gestured for him to come in.

"Oh, no. I was. Going to knock, that is. I just wanted to make sure you had enough time to... uh, hide anything you wouldn't want me to see," he made his excuse.

"I have nothing to hide," she announced. "Do _you_ have something to hide, Ben?"

"No," he shook his head. "Nope. Nothing to hide."

"Well that's good," she said, closing the door behind him. "You know I'd figure it out anyway if you did!" Rey smiled up at him.

Ben let out a forced, nervous laugh. He looked around her room, taking everything in, before he met her sparkling hazel eyes again. He didn't know how to begin this. He decided to take Poe's advice and impulsively kissed Rey, boldly placing his hand on her breast. It took her all of one second, maybe less, to push him away. "What are you doing?!" she exclaimed.

"Kissing you," he replied, sounding confused. He thought that was obvious.

"_Why?!_" she asked fiercely, eyebrows knit in confusion.

"I... um. I wanted to?" His confusion was growing. Wasn't this why he was here.

Rey just stared at him, her features softening slightly. "Why?"

"I just thought- I mean, you invited me to your room. Poe said-"

"_Poe_ said!" she interrupted, anger bubbling back up. "What _did_ Poe say?!"

For the first time, it finally clicked that maybe Rey _didn't_ want him to kiss her. He was more than happy to have Poe fall on the sword for this fiasco. "He told me that inviting someone to your room meant you wanted to have sex," he told her matter-of-factly.

"_What_?!" Rey asked incredulously. "I did _not_ ask you here for _sex_!" She then muttered, "I'll kill him..."

At this point, not only was his face burning, but his ears had turned pink. "I think I'll go," he told her, backing towards the door.

"Wait," she stopped him with a touch to his forearm. "You don't have to go. _Did_ you want to have sex?" she asked bluntly, genuinely curious about his motives.

He stared at her, studying her features to be sure that he had heard her correctly. How in the force was he supposed to answer her?! He figured that going with mostly honesty would be his best bet, but he also didn't want to make a bigger fool out of himself than he already was. He decided to play it off as no big deal. "Kind of," he shrugged, acting unaffected even though he was having a complete meltdown on the inside. "I mean, sure. I wouldn't _mind_ having sex with you."

Rey crossed her arms over her chest and looked annoyed. She really didn't appreciate his answer. It was almost like since she was the only female - person, really - that was his friend, that he decided he'd settle with trying to fuck _her_. She cared for Ben, but there was no way that she was going to serve as anyone's fuck buddy.

"I'm not interested," she simply stated in a clipped tone.

"Ok..." he scratched the back of his neck, a nervous tick she had started to notice. It was better than slashing things with his lightsaber she figured. "Then why _did_ you invite me to your room?" he was now the one to be curious about _her_ motives.

"I need help with the Jedi texts," she explained, no longer worried about his reaction.

Ben snorted. "No. I will _never_ teach you how to be a Jedi - something you know I despise!" It was his turn to cross his arms in annoyance.

"Good. Because I don't recall asking you to help me become a Jedi. I _asked_ for your help in reading a book!" she argued.

"Well, I won't do it," he told her with a shrug.

"Are you being this way because I won't have sex with you?" she accused.

He scoffed at this. "Of course not!"

"Then help me!" Rey demanded. "You _said_ you wanted to be my teacher."

"That was over a _year_ ago! _And_ it was to teach you the ways of the _dark_ side of the force, not to be another Jedi _puppet_!" he growled.

"I have no interest in_ that_!" she spat out. "I never will!"

"Fine! That's fine! But I'm not teaching you a _damn_ thing!" he informed her curtly.

"I've done just fine on my _own_! And since you won't help, I have no need for _you_ to be here! You can get out now," she told him sternly.

"I was leaving anyway!" he sneered and petulantly pushed his way past her.

Ben about pulled the door off the hinges as he made his exit, leaving the door open. Rey angrily slammed it behind his retreating figure, only to open it and storm off in the opposite direction. She marched herself to Rose's room in a desperate need to vent everything that just happened.

"Ben Solo is a _complete_ asshat!" she angrily informed Rose as soon as the door opened. Rey moved past her into the room before continuing her tirade. "Do you know what he just_ tried_ to do?!"

"I-"

"He tried to _kiss_ me!" Rey was whispering now, but that didn't make her sound any less angry. "He_ did_ kiss me!"

Rose shut the door as a quizzical look came over her face. "I thought you said you'd be fine with him kissing you?"

It was difficult for Rey's face to get any redder, but it did. "Yeah! But not like _that_!" And she pointed at the door as if Rose should know what 'that' meant. "He also, courtesy of Poe, thought we were going to have _sex_!" She whispered the last part as quietly as possible.

Rose snorted.

"It's not funny," Rey insisted.

"It's _very_ funny, actually," Rose responded.

"Well, I'm _not_ fine with being _anyone's_ fuck buddy!" Rey crossed her arms and flopped into a nearby chair.

Rose was shocked. "Wait. He asked you to be his fuck buddy?!" she asked as she took a seat in the chair across from Rey.

"Well, no. Not exactly," Rey's voice softened.

"What did he say?" Rose pressed.

Rey took a calming breath to ready herself for telling her friend the whole story. "So, I invited him to my room to-"

"You invited him to your _room_?" Rose repeated like Rey was the idiot and not Ben. "That's blatant code for 'I'm interested in doing _things_ alone with you.' Usually leading to sex... No wonder he-"

"That's what Poe told him!_ How_ is that code?! I just wanted his help with the book. Like _you_ told me to ask him!"

Rose groaned and put a hand over her eyes. "I did, didn't I? Rey, I was expecting that being alone together would lead to _something_ \- lots of kissing perhaps. I wasn't sure that he felt so strongly for you that he would make a move - _the_ move!"

"He made_ the_ move, alright! He grabbed my boob too!" Rey told her, placing a hand on the breast in question.

Rose snorted again. "He grabbed your boob?" she laughed. "That's the best. Going right for it, huh?!"

"Again, this is _not_ funny!" Rey sounded embarrassed now.

"You should have grabbed his boob back!" Rose told her, still laughing.

"First of all, no! Second, that would have only encouraged him. Third, I hate you," she grumbled.

"Ok, ok. What happened then? Did you slap him?" Rose smiled, hoping that she did.

"No. I just shoved him away. Then I clarified that I was only after his help with the Jedi texts, which led to us arguing. He doesn't want to help me. He just wanted me for kissing and sex."

Rose took Rey's hand and looked her in the eye, "Most men do." Rose tried to hold it together, to conceal her growing smile. She failed.

Rey pulled her hand away. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you and Poe set this whole thing up!"

"Honestly, Poe and I _would_ have set something like this up! But, Benny beat us to it," Rose smirked. "I just wish you would have let him have your v-card. You _need_ to get laid! He does too, for that matter."

Rey rolled her eyes and sighed. "Why am I friends with you?"

"Because we're the two biggest badasses here!"

Rey pressed her lips together in an effort not to smile. Although Rose wasn't really helpful on this matter, it was nice to have a friend to talk to about her problems. Problems that seemed to always lead back to Ben!

* * *

Poe went to Leia when Ben didn't show up the next day. His General explained that she had given Ben a different job for the moment in order to protect Poe's safety. "Apparently, you gave him some very bad advice regarding Rey..." she told him with a smirk.

"So she slapped him..." Poe said more to himself. "I was certain that they, you know,_ liked_ each other."

"They do, Poe," Leia kindly patted his shoulder, "but they - _she_ \- cannot be forced. You have to remember how young she is. How inexperienced to social norms they _both_ are. I appreciate you trying to help, if you were indeed helping and not setting him up, but they need to find their own way."

"I _was_ helping. Rey is one of my best friends and has been through so much. I've never seen her more content, more in her element than she is when she's with Ben. And Ben, he's actually a decent human when he's with her," he shrugged.

"Well, that may be, but for now it's best to give them both space. From what I gather, Rey isn't too thrilled with your meddling either," Leia warned him with a smile.

Poe nodded. "Fine, I'll keep clear of those two. No more match-making for me. They can remain ignorant of-"

A loud knock at the door interrupted his ramblings. Leia and Poe shared a glance, waiting for the other to get the door - Poe was closer, but it was Leia's door. She nodded at him and he obligingly opened the door to a cheery Rose and an annoyed Finn.

"Good morning, General," Rose spoke up. "Could we borrow Poe, please? We have a slight issue that needs oversight." Finn opened his mouth to say something, but Rose elbowed him in the ribs.

"Oh? Is it something that I need to be concerned about?" Leia questioned, staring the couple down.

"No, no. Poe will do!" she replied cheerily.

"Well, I better..." Poe pointed at his friends.

"Of course. Get to it," she waved him off. "_But_," her words stopped all three in their tracks and they turned to look at her, "you will remember what I just told you?" Poe nodded. "_And_ you'll let me know if anything gets out of hand?"

"Yes, General," Poe managed to get out before being literally pulled away by Finn.

Rose and Finn moved through the halls quickly and out into the bright sunshine. Finn, again, grabbed Poe's arm as they sharply changed direction. They didn't have to go much further before Poe could hear the lightsabers clashing.

"Look!" Rose pointed to Rey and Ben fighting in a small clearing about 40 yards away.

"I fail to understand why you're happy about this... and why I need to be here. Since they apparently both want to kill me..." Poe whispered, hiding himself behind Finn.

"All she did last night was complain about how he wouldn't teach her but wanted to sleep with her. She vowed to not see him all day. I, of course, didn't believe a word of it. And I was right!"

This still didn't explain why Rose was happy and this added to Poe's confusion. "But they're fighting. That's _not_ good, right?"

"We should just take him out," Finn grumbled.

"Oh, shut up Finn! Tell Poe what you witnessed," Rose said with an even wider smile.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Fine. Ben was assigned to me today - thanks to your terrible advice - and he was admittedly minding his own business. Just getting work done, ya know? When suddenly Rey was grabbing him by the shirt, yelling at him for being an 'asshat,' and dragging him away. She finally let him go and literally threw his lightsaber at him. He then started yelling at her for breaking into his room, but she ignored him and demanded that they spar. Except, she burned him a bit on her first swing, so I'm not sure that's sparring."

"Oh! She just singed his hair a bit. No big deal. It will grow back," Rose dismissed.

"So... you're happy that they're fighting?" Poe knew this couldn't be correct but didn't really know what else to make of Rose's glee.

"Well, yeah! She sought him out for physical interaction! She obviously wants him too," Rose explained to him like he was an idiot.

Poe looked to Finn, who just shrugged and shook his head. "I think everyone's lost their damn minds at this point. I'm the only sane one," Finn told Poe.

"Are you listening? I _just_ said that Rey was going to ignore him all day, but the _first_ thing she does is find him! I'm thinking that operation match-maker is still a possibility," she finally disclosed her plan.

"Ok, first of all, I really don't understand how women think. It truly boggles the mind! Second, I'm still not understanding how you can possibly think she is remotely interested in him. And third, Leia literally just told me to stay out of it," Poe informed them.

"She didn't tell me or Finn to stay out of it," Rose pointed out. "And Rey gave me the idea to meddle, so it's really her own fault!"

"Excuse me, but _Finn_ is staying out of it! I want _nothing_ to do with this mess. I don't even want them to be together!" Finn glared at the both of them.

Rose ignored him. "Come on, Poe. I know you can come up with some sort of mission that they can do together. You can use their force abilities as the excuse to send them."

The three of them quietly, but quickly, left Rey and Ben behind and headed towards Poe's room. Once safely away from anyone who could be listening, they resumed their discussion.

"If I were to even go along with this, they will definitely suspect something coming from me," Poe pointed out the primary flaw in Rose's plan.

"Well, they definitely would _not_ suspect Finn. He can deliver the news," Rose supplied the solution.

"Am I invisible? Can you two hear me? I said I won't take part in this!" Finn protested.

"Please, babe," Rose begged. "I'll owe you one," she told him with a wink. Finn didn't reply but sighed heavily, which Rose took as acceptance. "Great!" she smiled and turned her attention back to Poe. "Where should we send them?"

Poe took a moment to think. "Since we're doing this, I still want to get something out of it. Their trip needs to be productive... maybe back to Jakku to-"

Finn's groan interrupted Poe. "Back to Jakku?! You really want to send her_ back_ to Jakku? With _him_?! He ordered a whole village slaughtered. I doubt they would welcome him..."

"Ok... maybe not the best choice..." Poe conceded. "How about Canto Bight? Maybe they can gain some allies. There are probably people in that shady place that were loyal to Kylo Ren. And some that are loyal to Leia."

"Ok. That sounds plausible," Rose agreed.

With that settled, Rose, Poe, and a reluctant Finn spent the rest of their free time planning a trip to Canto Bight for Rey and Ben.

* * *

"A dress?! I highly doubt that I'll need a dress!" Rey told Rose and Leia.

The women were in Rey's room, preparing her for Canto Bight. This went beyond just packing for a trip. Leia and Rose knew that, although she had travelled extensively with the Resistance, Rey had little experience in the ways of how a society such as Canto Bight worked. How beautiful it was on the surface, but how its inhabitants - and visitors - were snobbish and backstabbing. Ben, on the other hand, knew all of this too well.

"A dress is absolutely necessary if you are to be in Canto Bight high society," Leia informed her. Rey grumbled her disapproval but didn't say anything else on the matter. "You will need to follow Ben closely. Take his lead. He is well-versed on how politics work."

Rey rolled her eyes. "Yes. I'm sure he does... I still don't see why we have to go alone," she shared her thoughts on the matter.

"The two of you are more than adequate to handle this mission," Leia told her. "Which is perfect since we aren't able to spare anyone else's absence."

If Rose didn't know any better, especially based on what Poe had said about Leia not wanting him to play match-maker, she would think that Leia was in on the plan. She seemed more than willing to send Rey off with Ben for their private little adventure. Complete with a makeover involving an elaborate dress that acentuated her body and silky undergarments for Rey. (The only makeover Ben got was a haircut due to an unfortunate mishap - or three - during his last sparring session with Rey.) Leia also, conveniently, only authorized enough credits to rent one room for one night in the casino. She seemed to be helping push their little plan along.

"What even is this? And what is the purpose?" Rey asked, holding up a scrap of black silk.

Rose couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. She hadn't had much - or any, really - opportunity to wear pretty things, but her knowledge of such things was vastly greater than Rey's. "It's called a thong. It's so underwear lines won't show in that dress."

"This is underwear?! It's not going to cover anything!" Rey said, shocked at the new information.

Leia laughed. "It's not meant to cover _much_... It's designed for style and not coverage _or_ comfort."

"I'd rather just not wear anything at all!" Rey confessed.

Rose, knowing the plan in store, blushed at Rey's comment. Leia chuckled at the girl's innocence. "Rey, dear, forgive my forwardness on this matter, it's not really any of my business, and I would rather stay out of such matters, but I would prefer that you wear undergarments around my son."

Rey joined Rose in blushing furiously. "I- We're not- I wasn't- I did not think of that," Rey finally settled on a response.

"Not to worry," Leia winked at her. "But, we really must get you ready. You and Ben will be leaving in about an hour, and I want to make sure you look the part when you arrive on Canto Bight."

"What about Ben?" Rey questioned. "Does he have to wear ridiculous clothing?"

Rose couldn't help but laugh as the idea of Ben having to wear a thong entered her head. "Not really. He's just going to wear a suit instead of his usual sad black clothes," she replied through her laughter.

Rey swallowed at the thought of her and Ben both being fancied up and sent off together on a mission. Alone. She still hadn't forgiven him for his actions, and words, in her room, but those actions had caused her to wonder about kissing him properly. Even though he took her completely by surprise, she could still recall the way his plush lips felt against hers. And, she didn't hate it. She had to admit that it had actually felt nice.

Rey sigh deeply, resigned to her fate. "Ok. Fine. Do what needs to be done," she gave in to Leia's demands of giving her a makeover. "However, if this dress gets ruined, it's your fault for making me wear it!"

It didn't take as long to get fancied up as Rey had thought. Leia had complimented her on her natural beauty, resulting in barely any makeup, and they agreed to fix her hair in a simple updo that Rey could recreate herself if it were to fall at all. Rose tried to make her wear shoes with points attached to the heel. She refused based on the fact she was found them extremely uncomfortable and not made for actual walking, much less running. She also fell over twice, convincing both Rose and Leia that sensible flats would be best. This made the dress longer, causing it to drag a bit on the floor. Rey was now hoping she wouldn't trip for _this_ reason.

She again wondered if Ben was going through a similar experience with his Canto Bight makeover. She somehow doubted it, which made her irrationally angry at him. Especially since _he_ was the one used to fancy society and political scheming and why a dress, makeup, and torture shoes are needed! She was still mentally fuming about how unfair this all was when she was marched to the ship she would be sharing with Ben. She somehow beat him, though she was sure it had taken her much longer to get ready.

"I should have brought you a cloak," Leia commented as a slight breeze stirred around them.

"Is Canto Bight cold?" Rey asked, also wishing for a cloak if that was the case.

"Not usually," Leia informed her. "It has a temperate climate, but the nights can sometimes be cool this time of year. Never mind, if you really need something, Ben can give you his jacket."

Rose glanced between Leia and Rey. A rosy blush had made a home on Rey's cheeks, but Leia seemed to take no notice. At this point, Rose was almost convinced that Leia knew of their plan and had decided to join them.

"Sorry we're late!" Poe greeted them while walking up with Ben and Finn dragging behind. Neither man looked like they wanted to be doing this. However, Ben's expression immediately changed upon seeing Rey in a dress.

"Wow," Ben couldn't help be to express his thoughts, "you look- wow."

"Weird. I know," Rey said, lowering her gaze and pulling at the top of her dress.

"No," Ben shook his head. "You look the part. Perfectly. We could even pass you off as a Countess if we needed to!" He smiled broadly at her. "Well done, Leia. You finally got to play dress up with the girl you would have preferred to have had as your child," he told his mother. His words were passive aggressive, but his tone was light and teasing.

Leia, of course, took her son's pessimistic nature in stride. "Rey does look quite pretty, and I admit that I did enjoy helping another female get all dressed up. But, you look quite as handsome as she does. I think we could pass you off as the Prince that you _should_ be if we had to!" she replied with a wink.

"Well, I'm_ not_ a Prince. I'm no longer the Supreme Leader, either!" Ben said with a bit of attitude towards his mother. "We need to be on our way," he decided to change the subject. He walked past Rey without so much as a glance and began up the ramp of the ship.

"Benjamin!" Leia's stern tone stopped him in his tracks. He turned to look back at her. "I know this is a mission - your first for the Resistance, and that this is uncomfortable for you both. But, for the purposes of this mission, Rey is your _date_. You better start treating her like it and assist her up the ramp."

Rey knew - well, hoped - that Leia was requesting him to help her so she wouldn't trip on her dress. However, Rey was still upset of the incident in her room, annoyed at all she had to do to get ready, and angry at his current petulance. "It's fine. I'm fine. I don't need his help," she stated as she lifted the skirt of her dress and made her way up the ramp, brushing past him. She may have purposely elbowed him in the side on her way, but she hoped it looked like an accident.

Ben glared at his mother, then turned his glare on Rey's three friends. "If you wanted a couple to look like they were on a date, then you should have chosen two people who had ever actually _been_ on a date in their entire lives," he informed them, making sure to be loud enough for Rey to hear. "You should have also chosen two people who actually like each other!" And with that he turned and stomped up the ramp, easily catching up with Rey. Ben grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside before smacking the button to close the door behind them.

"Well, they're going to have fun," Finn commented sarcastically.

"Ah, an adventure for just the two of them will work wonders," Leia replied with a smirk.

"I knew it!" Rose said happily. "You want to set them up just as much as we do!"

"Of course," Leia admitted. "I just know how to be a bit more subtle about it."

Rose and Poe grinned at each other while Finn rolled his eyes. The three friends stood with Leia to watch Ben and Rey take off. Once they were gone, Poe couldn't help himself. "I got them a room with only one bed," he confessed while trying not to laugh.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hard for me to finish. I know I'm posting this after spoilers have been leaked, but I wanted it out before the movie technically released. I thought I had until today (Thursday) before TRoS info dropped. I was wrong. Anyway, enjoy the conclusion of this humorous little fic (that gets pretty soft and fluffy at the end) that was inspired by that first trailer all those months ago! I love these space lovers, and I will keep writing them!
> 
> Added tags. ;-)

After spending a few minutes arguing over who was going to pilot their small ship, Rey conceded stating that her dress would be too uncomfortable to stay seated that long anyway. Ben smirked in triumph, while Rey took the seat (out of four total) the furthest away from him.

"One thing we can agree on," he began as he readied the ship for departure, "is that neither of us want to be going on this mission. Much less with each other!"

Rey crossed her arms and glared at the back of his head. "You're right. They should have sent me with Finn or Poe!"

"Except that_ I'm_ the one who needs to do the schmoozing," Ben pointed out. "Maybe Rose or Kaydel should have come with _me_." Rey snorted at the idea of tiny Rose accompanying giant Kylo- well, Ben. He glanced back at her and narrowed his eyes, "What?! Am I too repulsive to have _anyone_ as my date?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Pity party guilt trips don't work on me," she told him. "If you must know, I was just thinking of how funny you and Rose would look next to each other with the height difference."

He didn't have a reply for that, so Ben focused on getting them safely into the air and on their way. It took several more minutes for them to speak to each other again.

"This is the most uncomfortable thing I've ever had to wear!" Rey complained, standing up and pulling on the top of her dress.

"You do look very pretty, though," Ben complemented her before he could stop himself. He rationalized it in his head as defending the dress.

"I feel like my boobs are going to fall out of it..." she said with no hint of embarrassment. It's nothing different than she would have said to her other friends. The same could not be said of Ben, however. The sudden appearance of pink on his cheeks proved this. Luckily, Rey wasn't paying him any attention, as she was still fighting her dress. "Ugh! When I pull it up to cover my boobs more of my stomach can be seen, but if I try to hide my stomach then my boobs are on display! What is the purpose of clothing like this?" This time the question was directed right at Ben, and Rey fully expected an answer.

"I believe it is specifically designed to show off the better qualities of your figure, thus making you seem more attractive than you actually are," he stated this as matter-of-fact.

Rey really couldn't help herself and smacked him upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?! I gave you an answer!" he said, taking one hand away from the controls to rub his head.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?" she quipped and sat down in the seat next to Ben. "I can't believe that my first 'date' isn't even a _real_ one, and that it's with _you_\- Kylo kriffing Ren!"

"_First_ of all, you know that I don't go by _that_ name anymore so _stop_ calling me that!" he argued back. "Furthermore, _you're_ my first not-even-a-real-date too! A scavenger…" He scoffed to let her know how truly unhappy he was at the fact.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, your royal _highness_! Oh, wait. You're _not_ royal. You're not even a leader anymore. You're a big _nothing_, just like me!" she hissed at him.

"For force sake! _When_ are you going to let that go!? You know I didn't mean it like that! I was trying to say that I _understood_ you. I _liked_ you as much as I was capable of liking a person," he told her, defending himself.

"Then you should have just said that!" she informed him.

"Fine. I will _next_ time," he said to appease her. _If there is a next time,_ he thought.

Rey rolled her eyes, almost as if she knew his thought, and focused on anything that was outside the windows. She hoped that they would get there soon. She was afraid that she'd strangle him if he made one more idiotic comment.

* * *

Ben and Rey entered the casino looking like any other happy(ish) couple, with her arm through his. In reality, they had been bickering all the way from their ship, ending with him complaining that she was squeezing his arm too tightly. She loosened her grip the slightest bit and forced herself to smile.

"Don't do that," Ben whispered to her.

"Do what?" she whispered back, completely confused.

"Smile. These people _don't_ smile," he told her.

Rey made her smile vanish before responding, "You'll fit right in, then..."

"Exactly," he agreed just to refuse her the satisfaction of insulting him. "This is why _you_ must follow _my_ lead," Ben ordered.

Rey glared at him. "I am not one of your little First Order lackeys-"

"Sshh!" he hissed and placed his finger over her lips. "We are on a date. Stop arguing and act like you want to be here or we're going to fail."

A date. That's right. She had to pretend to be romantically attracted to Ben, all while searching for supposed allies. Rey simply nodded and allowed him to steer them towards the concierge. He gave the name "Benjamin Solo," and they gave him their room number and instructions on how to set their door code.

Door code. From that information alone, Rey could tell that they were staying in a very exclusive place. This made her feel even more out of place than she already felt. She was so much in her own head she didn't notice that Ben didn't fully enter the room once he set their door code and opened the door. She ran right into the back of him.

Before she could scold him for stopping so abruptly - and rudely, in her opinion - Ben let out a sound that could only be described as a low growl.

"I'm going to actually kill him!" Ben said once he was finished growling.

Rey made her way around him once she was sure that he had no plans on moving. She entered the room and looked around. It was very, very nice. No, not nice. Glamorous. Dazzling. Ritzy. Rey couldn't figure out what would make Ben so angry.

"I don't know what your problem is, but _I've_ never been in a more beautiful space," Rey told him, sticking up for Poe's room choice.

Ben sharply looked at her, then stared pointedly at the bed, and finally back to her.

"Are you mad that it's not black?" she asked, still not understanding his issue with the room.

"One. Bed. There's... _one_ bed!" he sputtered while gesturing to the, apparently, offending lone bed.

"Do you need more than one bed?" she asked, getting perturbed at how uppity he was acting.

"Are you- Do you really not see the problem here?!" Ben asked, sounding perturbed himself. Rey shrugged and shook her head. "Only one bed means that one of us will be sleeping on the floor. And that will probably be me!"

Rey cocked her head to the side, stared at the bed for a few seconds, and then let her eyes trail down Ben's body, taking in his full size - width, length, all of it. She studied him on the way back up to meet his eyes. "It's a pretty big bed, Ben. I know you're an above average sized man, but I don't take up much room. I'm sure we'll both fit perfectly fine."

Ben immediately opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out, and he ended up gaping at her for a moment. Finally he was able to speak up, "You want to _share_ the bed? That doesn't bother you?"

"I've shared a _much_ smaller bed with both Rose and Finn, and Poe and Finn now that I'm thinking about it..." Rey didn't think that Ben's eyes could grow any wider, but they did at her statement. She couldn't understand why he was being so weird but continued what she was saying anyway, "So, no. It doesn't bother me. Judging by _your_ reaction, however, I think it bothers you!"

"Yes. Yes, it does bother me. I cannot share a bed with you," he told her, more sure of this than anything else ever.

"Why not?!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms and slightly pouting.

_Getting a massive_ erection, he wanted to say for pure shock value. And, it was the truth. "Well, for one thing, you don't have anything to sleep in. You plan on being naked in bed with me?"

"I have underwear on," she informed him, thankful for Leia _making_ her wear underwear. "I can also wear your shirt. You won't need it. Besides, I've already seen you topless," she reminded him with a smirk.

Ben sighed, exasperated. "Fine. We can share. No problem. Now let's go do what we're supposed to do."

They rode the elevator back down in silence. Ben took Rey by the hand and pulled her along as he made his way to the main bar.

"A Corellian whisky, and a Mandalorian wine for the lady," he ordered once the bartender paid them any attention. The man nodded and disappeared.

"I guess that mask did come in handy," Rey began to make conversation. "It appears that no one recognizes you as-"

"Yes, yes," he interrupted her before she could say anything else regarding his previous role in the First Order. He turned to Rey to put his full attention on her, resting a hand on her shoulder and maintaining eye contact. "You need to be very careful about the things you say," he told her as kindly as possible. He needed her to take him seriously. "Act as if everyone is listening and watching us because they probably are." He took that moment, as if to prove his point, to brush a loose ringlet behind her ear.

Rey swallowed the lump in her throat. Ben had caught her off guard with the intense way he was looking at her. It reminded her of their fight in the throne room, except his eyes were kinder. Again, she could just nod her understanding. He nodded once back and turned his attention to the bar in time to retrieve their drinks and provide payment. They moved to a small, but tall, table to rest their drinks and survey the room.

"This wine is very good," Rey made another, more tame, attempt at conversation.

"It is, but make sure you don't drink it too quickly or it will go straight to your head," he warned her with a smile.

"Can have a sip of yours?" she asked, genuinely curious as to what it tasted like.

Ben couldn't help the smile on his lips. "Demanding I share my dinners with you every night, and now I must share my drink?!" he said in mock outrage as Rey's smile grew. "Go ahead, then. Give it a try." He slid his drink across the table towards her.

Rey gave the drink a quick sniff, which resulted in her scrunching her nose, but she took a small sip anyway. Her reaction was immediate, making a face that strongly suggested that she did _not_ like his drink. "How can you drink that?! It burns!"

Ben shrugged, "I'm used to it, I guess."

"Want to try mine?" she offered, holding her glass out to him.

"That wine is too sweet for my taste. I don't really like-"

"-sweet things," she finished for him. "I know."

Ben smiled at her then took a swig of his drink. They went back to surveying the room, and it didn't take long for him to recognize someone from his days as Ben Solo. "Wait here. I'll be right back," he told her and was off before she could reply.

Rey watched the older man and woman give Ben a warm handshake and a hug, and then they proceeded to speak for what seemed a long while to her. She easily got bored watching him and his old, what she assumed, family friends. She let her eyes wander around the room, taking everything in. Rey began to quickly realize that although she was dressed in what she considered to be fancy clothes, nothing could match the other gowns she saw. The more she noticed other people, the more she realized they were noticing her.

Most of the other guests gave her a once over and then completely ignored her. Others actually wrinkled their nose, giggled with their friends, or even glared at her for even daring to be near them. A few men, however, gave her approving looks, with one even going to far to lick his lips. This made Rey turn her attention back to where Ben had been, only to see that he had seemingly disappeared. She quickly scanned the room again but couldn't spot him.

She didn't show it, but she began to slightly panic. Did he leave her? Did someone recognize him, and he got captured? Was _she_ going to get taken? Rey searched for him once more, really focusing on black hair looming above the crowd. She finally spotted him. He was at another high table surrounded by three young women. Three laughing women. _He_ was making people laugh?!

Rey studied the women. They were obviously rich. They were wearing what had to be expensive gowns and jewels, and their makeup and hair was expertly done. Rey's hand absentmindedly made it's way to her own plain hairstyle. She had nothing on these women. Now, more than any other time this ridiculous plan was being concocted, Rey wondered why she was here. Leia should have chosen someone else. Kaydel wore makeup and was a bit girly. Jannah looked more glamorous than Rey without even trying! Maybe there was still time to try to contact Poe's old crush, Zorii. That woman was gorgeous under her mask.

She downed her wine and watched the women continue to giggle and laugh at whatever Ben was saying. One of the women put her hand on his arm, while another glanced at her friend's motion and put _her_ hand on his low back, a little too close to his butt in Rey's opinion. She understood that the women were flirting, and he appeared to be flirting back. But he was _supposed_ to be on a date, even though it was fake, with_ her_!

Rey didn't know where it came from, but she felt rather possessive of Ben suddenly. He was _her_ pretend date, and those other woman could back off! She decided to ignore Ben's order of staying put and marched over to the small group.

"_Sweetheart_," she said - trying not to sound angry - to get Ben's attention, the women automatically removing their hands from him, "could you get me another drink?" Rey tried her best to morph her face into what she hoped was an expression of love, but she was pretty sure that she couldn't help glaring at him first.

Ben backed away from his company and took a step towards her. "Of course, _darling_," he said with a pleased smirk. He then placed his hand so that it was covering both her low back _and_ the top of her ass. He looked over his shoulder and thanked the other women for their stimulating conversation before walking Rey to the bar.

He ordered them both another drink. "What about food?" Rey asked him as she plopped down in a chair at the bar, resting her arms on the countertop. "This is _supposed_ to be a date. As I understand it, they usually involve food."

"They don't always involve food," he corrected her limited ideas on dates.

"Well, this date_ is_ going to involve food. So, what should we get, oh _cultured_ one?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her tongue.

Ben stared her down for a moment, long enough for the bartender to bring their second round of drinks, before turning to the man and asking for a food menu. He reached under the bar and handed Ben a large rectangle of paper. He handed the menu to Rey and sat down next to her to help decide what to order.

Most of the food - ok, _all_ of the food - listed on the menu was foreign to Rey, so she took her time asking Ben what every single menu item - and there were forty or more - consisted of. Ben good-humoredly did as she asked and performed quite well as a sort of culinary tour guide. He told her when something would be downright gross, when it would be something she'd love but he'd hate, and things that would be best for sharing.

"That is, if you _want_ to share," Ben said carefully. "I mean, we _used_ to share our meals until you got mad at me..."

"You propositioned me for sex like I'm some First Order slut," she reminded him, keeping her tone of voice neutral. She was actually having a nice time with Ben, so she didn't want to start another argument.

"I did not," he defended his actions, also keeping his tone light. "I- I_ like_ you, Rey. I just thought you also liked me, so that's why I wanted to... uh..." he looked around to make sure no one was blatantly listening to their increasingly private conversation, "be intimate with you."

"Ben..." she chided softly. "We're friends. Why would you want to mess that up with even more complicated feelings than we already have?"

"My feelings for you aren't complicated," he told her truthfully. "I've always at least admired you."

"Well, _I_ hated you. Then I didn't. Then I did again. But not as much. Then-"

"Can I stop you there?" Ben asked, placing his hand on hers as if to physically stop her. "I understand that I have caused you pain, _and_ made you grateful for saving your life. More than once," he couldn't help but to add with a wink. "So, Rey, I'm sorry I asked something of you before you were ready... or before you were interested... or because you were never going to _be_ interested. In me. Like that."

Rey sighed. "That's not _exactly_ it, Ben. I've just never thought about it," she confessed with a shrug.

"I hadn't either, really. I mean, I've kissed other people before, but that was just because everyone else was doing it..."

"Was this in your Jedi days?" she laughed.

He gave her what she swore was a bashful smile and nodded. "Yes, it was. When I was much younger and probably had no business kissing _anyone_."

"I didn't have anyone _to_ kiss," she said and wrinkled her nose in disgust just thinking about the inhabitants closest to her on Jakku.

"I wanted to kiss you almost the moment I saw you," he hurriedly told her. "I'm not sure if that's weird or not, given how we met..."

"It's weird," she confirmed. "But kind of nice. I think."

Ben tried to control his smile and ducked his head before glancing back to Rey with as neutral an expression as he could manage. "Anyway... food?" he knew exactly what to say to change the topic.

"Can we just get food in our room? I can_not_ stand being in this uncomfortable dress any longer. Besides, this mission _isn't_ working out," Rey said, looking around the room as if proving her point.

"Sure," he agreed. "And, honestly? I think this mission is bullshit. I think Poe was just playing matchmaker again. Hence the one bed."

"But this is a Leia approved mission," she argued.

"Ha!" he barked out a laugh. "You don't think _my_ mom wants me to have a romantic relationship with _you_?! Because she does," he told her.

Rey sat quietly, contemplating his words. She really thought about everything that had happened to lead to this point. "They played us," she finally admitted the truth.

"Yep. But, don't worry. We will use our time away wisely!" he smiled conspiratorially.

Rey grinned back and shoved the menu between them so she could share with him. "Can we order lots of food? I'm _so_ hungry!"

"We can order everything, if you want." Ben felt that Rey was warming back up to him, so he would stop at nothing to keep the momentum going. He didn't want to make his previous mistake of moving too fast, but he decided that he was going to play along with his mother and Rey's friends' plan. He'd happily end the night just cuddling Rey in their shared bed!

"I don't feel comfortable spending Resistance money," Rey confessed.

"I haven't used any of the money given to us," Ben informed her. "I _do_ have my own money." Rey looked surprised at first, but then her lips spread into a slow smile. "What?" he inquired, not understanding what made her smile about him having money that was his.

"You've been spending _your_ money on us. This _is_ a real date," she pointed out, grinning at him.

"I guess it is," he replied with his own wide smile.

Rey and Ben conversed easily as they made their decisions and ordered their food to be delivered to their room. They finished their drinks quickly, and made their way back to their room to beat the food they had ordered. Once inside, they both kicked off their shoes, and Ben removed his suit jacket and tie. Rey tore her gaze away as he began to unbutton his shirt. It's not like she hadn't seen him shirtless before, but their dynamic had dramatically shifted. He was no longer her enemy but her friend... _and_ a very attractive mostly naked man that she was about to share a bed with!

Rey took his shirt into the bathroom to change. Not ten seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Ben accepted the food and began to set it out as he - nervously - waited for Rey to change. Into _his_ shirt. He started thinking about her reappearing in his shirt, and not much else, and he suddenly felt underdressed and overdressed at the same time. He decided, for both their comfort and no_ other_ reason at all, to remove his dress pants and took a seat on the bed to wait.

She entered the room looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. Her face was washed of all makeup, her hair was down, and she was wrapped in him. Ben began to regret removing his pants, as his cock stirred in his thin underwear. However, he noticed that Rey was frozen in the doorway staring at him. No. Not staring. Taking him in. Her eyes roamed over his mostly naked body, as her cheeks turned pink.

Ben cleared his throat before he spoke. "The food is here. You can choose what you want first."

"Choose what I _want_ first?" she repeated back to him. There was something in her tone of voice, in the way she was looking at him, that let him know that she probably wasn't thinking about the food. For once. She walked over to him, straddled his lap, and kissed him full on the mouth.

Ben's arms wrapped around her body to draw her even closer. He began giving as good as he was getting from her. Rey took the opportunity to slide down his body a bit to sit across his lap. On her way down, she noticed how much he was enjoying this, his cock standing tall and hard. She rubbed her barely covered pussy against him, shivering slightly due to the wonderful friction on her clit.

This time Rey took the lead. She knew he wanted it, so she wasn't the least bit nervous about pushing him back to pin him to the bed. Rey ran her hands down his naked torso, stopping at the waistband of his underwear. Her eyes met his in a silent request for entry. Ben nodded. She smiled mischievously and pulled his underwear to his thighs. He kicked at them a bit more to get them all the way off.

For her part, Rey was too busy studying this part of a man that she had never had cause to even think about. She gently ran her hand over him, watching him twitch at her touch.

"Can I lick you?" she asked, wondering what this part of him tasted like. Again, Ben could do nothing but nod. She shimmed down his body a few inches so that she could bend at the waist and take the tip of him into her mouth. He tasted salty. She liked salt, so it wasn't too bad. She didn't understand what some of the other women were complaining about when she had overheard them talking about sucking a man's cock.

"You need to stop," he warned her and placed a hand on her shoulder in a feeble attempt to actually stop her from her explorations.

She released him with a wet pop. "Why?" she questioned. "Isn't this what we're supposed to do?"

"If you keep doing that I'll come in your mouth," he told her with blatant honesty. "And I mean very, very soon."

"I heard that it was good to make a man come before sex so he lasts longer during the actual sex part," she explained.

"I- uh. I mean, yes. But-"

"It's fine, Ben," she reassured him. "_You're_ the one who wanted to do this in the first place, so at least let me try it out."

"But you probably won't like it," he finished what he was going to say.

"How about you let me judge what I do and don't like." And before he could reply, her mouth was back on him.

Ben decided to take his good luck and not argue with her for once. He tried to relax and focus on the experience. It soon became obvious that Rey didn't know really how to go about getting him off. Her licks and sucks were a bit all over the place- well, all over his cock; however, it was working for him. Honestly, just the thought of Rey's mouth anywhere on him made him want to come. It was warm and wet and like nothing he had ever experienced!

Finally she found a rhythm that worked for her, once she figured out how to incorporate her hand. It worked for him as well because he found himself quick coming in her mouth. It took her by surprise, and she pulled away causing come to dribble down her chin and for him to completely finish on his own thighs.

"Ok. I didn't really like that," she admitted, wiping his jizz off her chin with the sleeve of his shirt. "I mean, I kind of liked having your dick in my mouth, but not that _stuff_!"

At that, Ben's nervous expression turned into fondness. Without really thinking it through, he pulled her down for a kiss. He tasted his own come on her lips, and had to admit to himself that he didn't like it either, but her persevered in his effort to repay the favor. As they kissed, Ben managed to flip them so that Rey was pinned below him. He took advantage of his position to remove her barely-there underwear, all without stopping their make-out session.

Rey was the one to stop their kissing so she could take off the burrowed shirt. She then pulled him back down to begin kissing again, her tongue dancing with his. Ben, however had other plans. He began kissing, licking, and even nipping a trail down her body. Hee stated at her earlobe, then moved to her neck - sucking a bruise there - continued on to her breasts. He licked under the swell of them, drew his tongue up to a hard nipple and swirled around it before giving it a soft nip.

Whatever he was doing to her was working. Rey was wetter than she ever been getting herself off. She needed some friction to ease the ache on her cunt, so she reached for her clit, only to have her hand smacked away by Ben's much larger one.

"It's my turn to use my mouth on you," he told her, leaving no room for argument. Not that she would have...

"But you probably won't like it..." she repeated his words to him in a mocking tone.

Ben smirked and wasted no time in dipping his head to lick a stripe up her pussy, ending with a tongue swirl around her clit. Rey's back arched up off the bed.

"_Fuck_," she panted out a word he had never heard from her before.

He liked that reaction, so he did it again. Ben soon realized that she was sensitive in this area just as he was at the tip of his cock. He knew to focus his mouth here, and just as Rey had he needed to figure out what to do with his hands.

She was _so_ wet that he felt like he needed to touch her. He circled a finger at her entrance before slowly pushing into her. Her hips jerked and a soft moan escaped her lips. This encouraged him to pull his finger out to the tip and repeat the action. On the fourth stroke, he added a second finger. Ben continued to focus his tongue on her sensitive bundle of nerves while fucking her with his fingers. second

Just as he had responded to her, she was quickly responding to him. She was getting even wetter, which he thought was a very good thing since he wasn't sure how his thick cock was going to fit in her little hole in the first place. He began to move has hand faster and sucked her clit between his plush lips. Ben knew he was doing it right when her moans grew louder and she was bucking her hips to meet his hand. The problem was he was having a hard time multitasking with his fingers and his mouth while she was grinding into him. It kind of hurt his nose.

"Do you want more touching or sucking?" he quickly asked her. "I don't think that I can keep doing both for much longer."

"Mouth," was the only response he received. So he did as he was told. He withdrew his hand, spread Rey's legs further apart for better access, and focused his efforts on making her come.

Rey felt like his mouth was everywhere. She felt him delve inside her, fucking her with his tongue, before he licked back up to her clit and sucked hard. She felt her body shake, and she knew she wasn't going to last much longer. She carded a hand through his hair and ordered him to keep doing what he was doing.

"Please don't stop," she begged him. "I'm going to come. _Please_, Ben, make me come," she started rambling as she felt the familiar climb to her orgasm. He gave her one more swirl of the tongue and she was gone.

Ben watched Rey as she recovered from what was easily the best orgasm of her life. Once it seemed as though she had caught her breath, he crawled back up her body and gently kissed her lips before deepening the kiss. She could taste herself on his tongue, which was better than what his come tasted like, in her opinion.

After all of this - everything that they had just done to each other - he felt a little ridiculous asking her for sex, but he did it all the same. "Can I finally fuck you now?" he asked playfully.

"Please," she replied. The orgasm that she had was great, but her cunt still ached to be filled. She wanted him._ Badly_.

Ben gave her a beautiful smile before kissing her again. He grabbed onto his hard cock and lined the tip up with her entrance. He slid in slowly, the fear of hurting her in the forefront of his mind.

Rey wrapped her legs around him, allowing him to go deeper. When he finally pushed all the way in, she didn't feel the pain she had been warned about, just the feeling of being stretched tight around him.

He took the moment to enjoy the _feel_ of her, of him inside her. Reveal in the fact that he had just lost his virginity to the woman he loved while taking hers in return. Of course he would never voice such sentiments, but Ben Solo did have a bit of an old-fashioned romantic heart. He knew he could never have casual sex with someone he didn't love, and now he knew he would only have sex with Rey for as long as he lived.

"You can move," her voice broke through his thoughts. "I'm fine. It feels good now."

As he usually did when it came to Rey nowadays, he did what was asked of him. He started a slow pace. Ben still needed to feel her, that this was all _really_ happening. He felt her place a kiss on his neck, and he looked down at her. He searched her eyes for what she could be feeling, but she just met his gaze back and kissed him. When she pulled away, he couldn't help himself. He needed to tell her, even if it was foolish. "I love you, Rey."

"I know, you idiot. Now move faster. And harder," she requested with a smile and a kiss.

He, yet again, did as requested and began kissing her in earnest. One of his hands held him up so he wouldn't crush her, while the other gripped her hip. Her arms were wrapped around his upper back, keeping him close. Ben snapped his hips even more vigorously as he chased his orgasm. This caused her to moan into his mouth. A sort of chain reaction happened after that. He began to move even faster, fucking her hard into the mattress. She moaned into his mouth again but didn't stop trying to keep kissing him. He started to yearn for the feeling of her moans and snapped his hips faster. Soon they were reduced to a mass of moans and the sound of slapping skin.

Rey came first, after still being sensitive from her first orgasm. Ben fucked her through it and came due to her pussy spasming on his cock, squeezing him hard as if to milk out every last drop of come. He was careful not to completely collapse on her, but he was still _on_ her while bracing himself on his arms with whatever strength he had left. She didn't seem to mind, since her arms were still wrapped around him.

"I love you too, you know," Rey whispered against his ear. "I guess I was just afraid to admit it."

Ben pulled back a bit to study her face. He needed to be sure that she was serious. Not that he thought she would be so cruel as to joke about something like that. He could see the truth staring back at him. Now it occurred to him that he probably knew all along but was too afraid to hope. Soon a grin took the place of his loving gaze.

"I think that we should give them a dose of their own medicine and tell them we eloped." His eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Or we could actually elope..." she said to test his reaction.

"They do marry people here," he informed her. "I would marry you yesterday if you wanted me to."

"Ben, that's so sweet, but I was joking." He looked defeated. She added, "If- _when_ we get married, I want our loved ones to be there."

"So, you'd really marry me?!" he asked, the happiness clear in his voice.

"Of course! However, I think we should focus on defeating the First Order and whatever else comes our way first!" she logically pointed out.

Ben pulled Rey just a bit closer, if that was even possible, and kissed the top of her head. "We can take on anything and win. I'm sure of it. With you by my side, anything is possible."

* * *

And they lived happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may add more, but I'm leaving it here for now. HUGS! Thanks again for reading.


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